Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Austin, TX and Santa Fe

For one person, living is cheaper in Santa Fe: $1,071 a month against $2,663 in Austin, TX, rent and utilities included – about $19,100 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

130

Cost of Living Index in Austin, TX
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Austin, TX Living Index
52

Cost of Living Index in Santa Fe
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Santa Fe Living Index

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Austin, TX

🇺🇸 United States

$2,663

/mo nomad

Santa Fe

🇦🇷 Argentina

$1,071

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Austin, TX and in Santa Fe

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Austin, TX and in Santa Fe actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $2,663 in Austin, TX versus $1,071 in Santa Fe.

Austin, TX $2,663
Santa Fe $1,071

Estimated couple costs with rent: $4,133 in Austin, TX versus $1,655 in Santa Fe.

Austin, TX $4,133
Santa Fe $1,655

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $5,603 in Austin, TX versus $2,239 in Santa Fe.

Austin, TX $5,603
Santa Fe $2,239

Living in Austin, TX is roughly 149% more expensive than in Santa Fe, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

The two cities straddle the global median: Austin, TX is 97% above, Santa Fe is 21% below.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$20.77 $20.77

$9.93 ARS 15.1K

109.16%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$84.6 $84.6

$37.60 ARS 57.0K

124.97%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$12.32 $12.32

$12.68 ARS 19.2K

-2.84%

Cappuccino

$5.63 $5.63

$1.69 ARS 2,556

233.14%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.72 $3.72

$1.55 ARS 2,348

140.00%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$2.50 $2.50

$1.33 ARS 2,020

87.97%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$8.05 $8.05

$3.43 ARS 5,208

134.69%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$9.01 $9.01

$4.99 ARS 7,572

80.56%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.12 $1.12

$1.01 ARS 1,526

10.89%

White Bread (500g)

$3.75 $3.75

$1.64 ARS 2,481

128.66%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$3.26 $3.26

$1.04 ARS 1,572

213.46%

Eggs

$4.17 $4.17

$1.54 ARS 2,341

170.78%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$12.90 $12.90

$8.60 ARS 13.0K

50.00%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$14.16 $14.16

$6.07 ARS 9,200

133.28%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$16.22 $16.22

$10.68 ARS 16.2K

51.87%

Apples (1kg)

$4.33 $4.33

$1.99 ARS 3,016

117.59%

Banana (1kg)

$1.46 $1.46

$1.52 ARS 2,298

-3.95%

Oranges (1kg)

$4.51 $4.51

$0.87 ARS 1,316

418.39%

Tomato (1kg)

$4.34 $4.34

$2.38 ARS 3,602

82.35%

Potato (1kg)

$2.58 $2.58

$0.57 ARS 867

352.63%

Onion (1kg)

$2.35 $2.35

$0.63 ARS 955

273.02%

Lettuce (1 head)

$1.78 $1.78

$1.02 ARS 1,553

74.51%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.22 $2.22

$1.02 ARS 1,546

117.65%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$9.88 $9.88

$3.11 ARS 4,715

217.68%

Wine (Bottle)

$15.08 $15.08

$4.87 ARS 7,389

209.65%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$2.92 $2.92

$1.23 ARS 1,861

137.40%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.46 $3.46

$2.05 ARS 3,109

68.78%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$1.49 $1.49

$1.04 ARS 1,570

43.27%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$41.72 $41.72

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.73 $2.73

$1.01 ARS 1,538

170.30%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.66 $1.66

$0.98 ARS 1,479

69.39%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$35.30 $35.30

Gasoline (1 liter)

$0.95 $0.95

$1.14 ARS 1,736

-16.67%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.0K $36.0K

$20.0K ARS 30.3M

80.50%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$27.1K $27.1K

$29.8K ARS 45.2M

-9.20%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$229 $229

$60.1 ARS 91.2K

280.95%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$59.4 $59.4

$19.86 ARS 30.1K

199.04%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$69.9 $69.9

$20.95 ARS 31.8K

233.70%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$57.2 $57.2

$33.96 ARS 51.5K

68.55%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$16.33 $16.33

Cinema Ticket

$14.28 $14.28

$4.83 ARS 7,327

195.65%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$1,506 $1,506

$238 ARS 361.5K

531.68%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$21.5K $21.5K

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$52.8 $52.8

$88.2 ARS 133.7K

-40.09%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$43.82 $43.82

$60.4 ARS 91.6K

-27.46%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$84.8 $84.8

$115 ARS 173.7K

-25.97%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$103 $103

$140 ARS 212.8K

-26.60%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$1,907 $1,907

$513 ARS 777.2K

272.14%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,274 $1,274

$360 ARS 545.9K

253.93%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$3,664 $3,664

$931 ARS 1.4M

293.71%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$2,538 $2,538

$609 ARS 923.1K

316.98%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,614 $7,614

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$3,157 $3,157

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$5,121 $5,121

$847 ARS 1.3M

504.72%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.79

100

-93.21%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Austin, TX: October 12, 2026

Last update for Santa Fe: October 11, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Austin, TX

$1.3K 47.8%

Santa Fe

$360 33.6% 71.7% $914

Groceries & Markets

Austin, TX

$405 15.2%

Santa Fe

$199 18.5% 50.9% $206

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Austin, TX

$358 13.5%

Santa Fe

$101 9.4% 71.8% $257

Eating Out

Austin, TX

$354 13.3%

Santa Fe

$176 16.5% 50.1% $177

Clothing & Footwear

Austin, TX

$128 4.8%

Santa Fe

$182 17% 41.9% $54

Sport & Entertainment

Austin, TX

$86 3.2%

Santa Fe

$44 4.1% 49.2% $42

Getting Around

Austin, TX

$59 2.2%

Santa Fe

$10 * 0.9% 82.9% $49

Categories marked with * are only partly priced – their share counts the items that do have prices.

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $1,907 in Austin, TX and $513 in Santa Fe. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Austin, TX pays 505% more on average. The extra income cushions the higher costs, though housing choices and lifestyle decide how much of the gap is truly closed.

Dining out: $85.0 in Austin, TX vs $38.00 in Santa Fe for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $405 vs $199 per month, with Santa Fe cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Austin, TX

🇦🇷 Santa Fe

🕒 Local time

12:48 12:48 PM

14:48 2:48 PM

2 h ahead of Austin, TX

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

974,447

391,164

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

Argentine Peso ARS $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.896 EUR

10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD

10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

ARS, EUR to USD – United States Dollar Converter

🇦🇷 Argentine Peso ($)

🇺🇸 United States Dollar ($)

United States Dollar exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 EUR = 1.12 USD (1 USD = 0.896 EUR).

Argentine Peso exchange rates as of October 13, 2026: 1 USD = 1,517 ARS (10,000 ARS = 6.59 USD). 1 EUR = 1,693 ARS (10,000 ARS = 5.91 EUR).

ARS to USD in detail →

On the map

Lowest

Highest

Between locations

Austin, TX Santa Fe 7,920 km ≈ 10 h nonstop flight

From you

Austin, TX
Santa Fe

Distances are measured in a straight line. Your location is detected approximately.

City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Austin, TX vs Santa Fe: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Santa Fe wins on cost – living expenses run 149% lower than in Austin, TX. Housing and daily spending are where you'll feel the difference most, making Santa Fe the obvious pick if budget is a priority.

Average pay runs 505% higher in Austin, TX, which matters when comparing affordability. Whether that higher income actually nets you more depends on your spending habits and housing choices.

Rent for a central apartment: $1,907 in Austin, TX versus $513 in Santa Fe. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $1,506 in Austin, TX versus $238 in Santa Fe. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Dining out is cheaper in Santa Fe – a meal for two runs $38.00 versus $85.0 in Austin, TX. If you eat out regularly, this makes a real dent in your monthly spending.

At $1,071 in Santa Fe versus $2,663 in Austin, TX, a $2,000 budget is realistic in Santa Fe but tight or insufficient in Austin, TX. The gap between the two cities makes Santa Fe the clear choice for anyone on this budget.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Safety-wise, Austin, TX and Santa Fe are on par. Petty crime is typical for cities this size, and most residents feel comfortable going about their daily routines in either place.

Expats usually find Santa Fe gentler on the wallet – expenses run 149% less than in Austin, TX. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.